Assistant Professor Mariana Chilton, Ph.D., M.P.H., has received a $25,000 USDA-funded Research Development Grant for her proposal "Well-being of Citizen Children of Immigrants in Relation to Food Stamps and WIC, 1998-2005." The grant is processed through the Harris School at the University of Chicago, and was reviewed by Harris School affiliates and staff members of the U.S. Department of Agriculture.
Prof. Chilton's study will examine the impact of the food stamps program and WIC (Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children) on the children of immigrants. The outcomes include parent-assessed health, height and weight, and the number of hospitalization episodes. The data come from the Children's Sentinel Nutrition Assessment Program (C-SNAP), a survey administered in emergency room and clinic waiting rooms. The study will also perform cross-sectional analyses (such as cross-tabulations, multivariable regressions, and logistic regressions) to assess the correlation between program participation and outcomes and will test for interactions between participation and immigrant status, participation and immigrants' length of stay, and participation and food insecurity status.